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Pickleball is the fastest-growing sport in America, and cities and suburbs alike are racing to build courts to meet demand. In fact, the number of public pickleball courts in major metros has jumped 650%, according to the Trust for Public Land.
But one Colorado community learned the hard way: Not every court is worth the cost.
After spending $140,000 to convert an aging tennis court into a pickleball-friendly surface, a homeowners association in Aurora, CO, ended up scrapping the entire project—paying an additional $3,600 to throw the court in a dumpster.
It’s a cautionary tale for anyone living in a neighborhood with an HOA. Without transparency and oversight, your board can make six-figure decisions that affect your home, your wallet, and your quality of life. And when something goes wrong, it’s the homeowners who pay.
When your HOA spends without you
There are an estimated 365,000 homeowners associations in the U.S., housing roughly 30% of the population. But while millions of Americans live in HOA communities, few realize how exposed they are to board-level decisions that can carry steep financial consequences.
Most HOAs are governed by a board of directors—typically fellow homeowners—tasked with managing finances, enforcing rules, and maintaining shared spaces. But even well-meaning boards can approve large-scale projects with minimal homeowner input, no competitive bidding, and little to no contractual protection if their governing laws don’t require it.
In Aurora, that’s exactly what happened. The HOA board hired a vendor without proper documentation, then spent $140,000 on a pickleball court that couldn’t be played on. The surface cracked. Balls didn’t bounce. A resident was even injured. And when the vendor stopped responding, the board had no recourse.
If you’re not actively involved, you might never know how your dues are being spent—until the bill shows up, or worse, the dumpster.
Following the money—and the paper trail that was never there
When HOA residents Carole Scott and Teresa LeGare couldn’t get answers about the botched pickleball court, they ran for seats on the HOA board. After trying and failing to figure out a compromise with the vendor who installed the court, the board decided to cut its losses.
“We literally just pulled in a dumpster and paid a company $3,600 to throw it all in the trash,” LeGare told CBS News Colorado.
To be clear, not every HOA operates this way. Most have formal procedures that require board approval for major expenditures—typically involving a written proposal, a vote at a public meeting, and documentation to back it all up. Many can’t spend funds on their own, and any large project should involve competitive bidding, a clear scope, and protections like warranties or legal contracts.
But the system only works if it’s followed. And it often relies on volunteers—elected homeowners with varying degrees of experience—who may not realize what steps are required, or who may be pressured to move quickly. Likewise, HOAs are governed by a set of documents that can vary from community to community, adding in another layer of complexity to how large-scale decisions like these are made.
You pay the price, even if you voted no (or didn’t know about it)
HOA projects that pass a board vote are rarely optional. Whether you supported the decision, objected to it, or had no idea it was happening, you’re still expected to help pay for it.
“We all weren’t really tuning into the board meetings and what they were spending and doing,” said LeGare. And by the time residents realized what had happened, the court was unplayable, the money was spent, and the vendor had stopped responding.
Failed projects can lead to:
- Higher monthly dues to rebuild reserves
- One-time special assessments to cover replacement or removal
- Deferred maintenance elsewhere when funds are diverted to fix mistakes
The pickleball court fiasco reflects a broader pattern seen in HOA-governed communities across the country: hidden costs, lack of transparency, and financial burdens passed onto homeowners, sometimes without their knowledge or consent.
What you can—and can’t—do to stop it
The good news: Most HOAs are legally required to hold regular board meetings and make certain records available to residents. If you want to ensure this doesn’t happen to you, you can attend meetings, request project documentation, and ask for details on how vendors were selected. Contracts, bids, warranties, and board votes should all be accessible, but only if you ask.
You can also vote in board elections, challenge assessments, and if needed, run for the board yourself, like Scott and LeGare did in Aurora.
Still, it’s important to understand the limits. Some HOA bylaws give boards authority to spend without homeowner approval under certain circumstances. Even a majority of residents can be overruled, depending on how the community is structured. Oversight often depends less on legal safeguards and more on who’s paying attention.
Getting involved early is the only way to avoid costly surprises later. Because once the money is gone—and the court is in the dumpster—there may be no way to get it back.
What to know before your HOA builds anything—from pickleball to pools
When your HOA proposes a new amenity—a pickleball court, a clubhouse renovation, a fitness center upgrade—it might sound like a perk. But behind the glossy plans and community emails, there are real financial risks that homeowners need to take seriously.
Before any project moves forward, ask how vendors are being selected and whether multiple bids were considered. Insist on transparency around costs, materials, and timelines. Make sure the board has clearly defined what the project is for and whether the product being used has actually worked in other communities.
Equally important is understanding the fine print. Every homeowner should know whether there’s a warranty, what happens if the product fails, and whether the board (or the vendor) is on the hook if things go wrong. Because if those questions don’t get answered up front, there’s a good chance the answer is: You’ll be the one paying.